What you can do to fight back this week (June 12)

The fight to protect the historic gains in health coverage Colorado has enjoyed in recent years is entering the critical phase. After the first attempt by Republicans under President Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act collapsed in failure, Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado has joined a small group of Republican Senators to craft a new health coverage repeal bill in secret.

The latest word is that Sen. Gardner will unveil this new bill shortly, and the U.S. Senate will vote on it before the July 4th recess. No matter what token changes this newest bill makes over the last one, this is still legislation to undo the progress we’ve made under Obamacare and take away health coverage for millions of Americans. Sen. Gardner must be made to understand the terrible harm he is about to do to his constituents—and if that doesn’t convince him to change course—to his own political career.

The time to fight back is now. This Thursday, our friends at Protect Our Care Colorado are organizing a “walk-in” action at Gardner’s offices across the state of Colorado. Sign up for a designated time to walk into a Gardner office near you and deliver a letter or statement opposing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

Thank you for your help at this critical moment to protect health coverage. Once you’ve done that, check out more ways to take action for the week of June 19th:

Beer and Books with Author Joel Berg and ProgressNow

Tonight’s the night! We’ll see you at Our Mutual Friend for some great beer and a conversation with Joel Berg about his new book, “America, We Need to Talk,” as well as what we can do to fight back against Trump and the conservative agenda while advancing a progressive, inclusive message. Admission is free, bring friends, and we’ll see you there!

Welcome to Longmont Pride Week! Kick off the festivities by joining Out Boulder County and the Longmont Public Library for Rainbow Storytime, an LGBTQ book reading for children and families. We encourage all members of the LGBTQ and Allied Community to come and enjoy family friendly stories that celebrate incredible people! This event does not require an RSVP, but please note that space is limited to 120 people.

Are you craving an opportunity to share authentically with women who face similar challenges and opportunities in bringing their work to the world? We’re excited to announce the Emerging Women Leadership Series @ Impact HUB Academy in Boulder, Colorado! Join us for an interactive evening of connection, wisdom, and deep dives to support you on your journey as a female leader.

Join us for a rally in celebration of refugees, the communities that welcome them, and help to advocate for refugee resettlement in Colorado. The celebration will include entertainment, inspiring speakers and a proclamation from Governor John Hickenlooper.

Join Out Boulder County and the Firehouse Art Center for the 9th Annual Out Youth Film Premiere, showcasing films written, directed, edited, and produced by LGBTQ youth. Come and support the artistic endeavors of local youth- you don’t want to miss out on these incredible acts!

Date for an Impact promises to be an incredible evening of great food, amazing cocktails, comedy and both live and silent auctions. The event benefits Impact Locally, a Denver based non-profit that assists over 5,000 homeless men, women and children in the Denver area each month. We’re excited to share where Impact Locally has been, and where we’ve set our sights on going.

Join your friends, neighbors, and colleagues in the first of a series of nourishing community dialogues with good beer, good food and live music (listen to Melissa McGinley of 300 Days here)! Boulder architect David Barrett will kick off a lively discussion (diverse opinions encouraged!). We hope to make this a monthly event co-hosted by other partners in the field.

Please join NoCo Spark for a discussion of “The First Amendment at Risk: Religious Freedom” on June 21, 2017 at 7 PM in The Coloradoan’s public room. Join Collin Cannon of Atlas Church in Greeley, CO, Rabbi Hillel Katzir of Temple Or Hadash of Fort Collins, and Shakir Muhammad of The Islamic Center of Fort Collins to learn more about how the current political climate intersects with the First Amendment guarantees of freedom from and of religion to affect our friends and neighbors here in Northern Colorado.

Although Trump has begun the process of pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, there is still much we can do locally to #ActOnClimate. As part of a series of actions to pressure our local government to take concrete steps to address climate change, we are offering an evening of education and dialogue to give our community the tools necessary to talk to their friends, family, and neighbors about this complex and multifaceted issue. Panelists will give short presentations addressing various aspects of the climate discussion including the science behind climate change, the economics of transitioning to a green economy, and ongoing local climate campaigns, among other topics. After presentations, we will have an open discussion for community members to ask questions of our panelists.

Learn how Restorative Justice puts Longmont on the world map with this locally made documentary film. With Public Safety Chief Mike Butler, DA Stan Garnett, Officer Jason Malterud and volunteers, students and community members whose lives have been transformed by restorative justice.

Senator Gardner must hear our moral declaration on the healthcare fight – this is a crucial time, when Gardner himself is at the nexus of the 13-man panel to revoke healthcare in the senate. Revoking healthcare from millions of Americans is not just wrong, it’s immoral. We will stand up for healthcare. Join us! We will meet at Skyline Park, next to the Chase building.

Climate change is perhaps most visible at our planet’s poles and alpine regions where snow and ice are melting, but how is it affecting our population centers? We’ll take look at climate records in Boulder and in other cities across the country and talk about what changes are expected in the future. From sea level rise to growing mosquito populations and inland flooding to heat waves, Erika Schreiber will help us examine how our populations are vulnerable to these changes now and into the future.

Join us on Saturday, June 24th for a hands-on training to learn more about the vulnerability of homelessness and how it plays a part in the crime of human trafficking. As a participant, you will also be creating street outreach bags to be distributed by LCHT’s partner organizations that work directly with communities experiencing homelessness.

Colorado Stands will be hosting its next event in support of access to affordable housing! We will come together for an evening of food, music, and activism. Local organizations and politicians will be in attendance to speak to policies and services related to affordable housing in and around Denver. We will be announcing additional details as they become available, so stay in touch with Colorado Stands in the coming weeks!

Thanks again for your work week after week to hold Trump, Gardner, and the far right from Denver to D.C. accountable. Watch your inbox for updates, and we’ll see you next week with more ways to fight back.